Calf of Man Lights

The Calf of Man is a small
island of the southern tip of Mann, to the southwest is Chickens (or
Chicken) Rock, about 8,000 sq ft of bare rock which appears as two
small islets connected by a low isthmus, all of which is covered to a
depth of 6ft at high tide. The name Chickens is supposedly from the
sea bird that frequents it, the Stormy Petrel, or 'Mother Carey's
Chickens' though possibly it is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic
Charrick y Challoo 'rock of the Calf'..
This menace to shipping rose from comparatively deep water into the
middle of a tidal race which swept round the southern tip of Man and
was capable of trapping a vessel and dragging it across the
Chickens.

In 1794 a Mr Colquhoun suggested a double light so that it could be
easily distinguished from that of the Skerries.
This idea was adopted and the two lights aligned, as is clear from
the chart, so that when they appeared one above the other then the
Chickens rock was in line between the vessel and the cliff. The two
lights would appear as one when viewed from the rocks thus supposedly
some estimate of the distance from the rock could be gauged.
However one problem was that the higher light often (about 30% time)
lies within the mist belt and thus the distance indication is not
reliable.
The two leading lights were designed by Robert Stevenson in 1816 and
the station established in 1818. It comprised two towers, 560 feet
apart, aligned to indicate a safe course past the dangerous Chicken
Rock. The two lanterns were 375ft and 282ft above sea level and held
'double revolving and leading lights without colour'.

The station consisted of two circular stone towers with
lightkeepers accommodation and was built with 10 months once the Duke
of Atholl had agreed, after much procrastination, to rent the land.
Discontinued in 1875 when the Chicken Rock
light was established.
The two lights were kept in synchronism by adjusting the clockwork
drive.

The old lights are now somewhat dilapidated and the handsome keepers'
houses ruinous.

Upper Light House, 2005

Tower of lower lighthouse

A new station, near the old lower light, was
established in 1968 following the fire on the Chicken Rock.. This is
a 36ft, white octagonal tower designed by R.J.Mackay and built by
R.J.Mackay & P.H.Hyslop.